Vehicles such as aircraft include one or more movable flight control members to control the vehicle during flight. Movement of the flight control members is typically effected by one or more actuators mechanically coupled between a base (e.g., a wing spar) and the flight control member. In many vehicles, the actuators for flight control members are linear hydraulic actuators driven by a hydraulic system.
Hydraulic systems for aircraft can be designed to provide hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic actuators to move and position the flight control members as necessary during the flight of the aircraft. The hydraulic systems can include a series of supply and return lines. One or more hydraulic actuators are positioned along the supply and return lines and are attached to the flight control members. A pump moves the hydraulic fluid through the supply and to the actuators. The hydraulic fluid than is directed into different sections of the hydraulic actuators to move the hydraulic actuator and thus adjust the flight control member. The hydraulic fluid from the actuator is moved into the return line which returns the hydraulic fluid to the pump to be reused in the hydraulic system.